Air conditioning system for sleeping cars



Aug. 10, 1937. c. F. HENNEY AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR SLEEPING CARS Filed April 30, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 w FlNV/ENTOR TTORNEY Aug. 10, 1937.

c. F. HENNEY 2,089,372

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR SLEEPING CARS Filed P 0, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 27 T25 r73 &

I 75 i} 26a.

F 44 43 e 24 7 A 0000000 U o U00 [100 U U 080 0 0U INVENTOR Aug. 10, 1937. c. F. HENNEY 2,089,372

7 AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR SLEEPING CARS Filed April 30, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 MW W HJE IE Fl zl X,

INVENTOR Patented Aug. 10,i937

FFICE Charles l. Henney, Dayton, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to General Motors Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application April 30,1932, Serial No. 608,449

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigeration and more particularly to apparatus for conditioning air in railway passenger cars.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a simplified form of air conditioning apparatus for railway passenger cars, in which piping systems for the air are materially reduced and in which the size of the apparatus used for cooling the air is also materially reduced.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view of a railroad car utilizing features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4'is a view partly in elevation, partly in cross-section of a modified form of the apparatus adapted to passenger cars provided with sleeping compartments Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic representation in a vertical view of the fiow of air in a passenger car;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but taken along a horizontal plane;

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5, but showing the invention applied to cars having sleeping compartments;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but applied to cars having sleeping compartments;

Fig. 9 is a view transverse to Fig. 4; and

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of the flow of air, the view being taken transversely to 40 Figs. '7 and 8.

Heretofore it has been customary to condition air for railway passenger cars, but expensive and complicated systems have been used to distribute been utilized, and it is among the objects of this invention to utilize a simplified construction capable of reducing materially the size of the system.

These objects may be attained by various modifications, but in order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of the same is now described. In the modification shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, the air which is to be introduced into the seating compartment 20 of a passenger car, is contacted with an evaporator 2| of a refrigerant-circulator-condenserevaporator-refrigerating system generally designated as 22. The air after contacting with the evaporator 2|, is discharged into the seating compartment in the form of a blast longitudinally of the car, so that the blast travels substantially its entire length in the space normally above the heads of the occupants. The air is returned to the evaporator to be re-cooled and re-discharged in a cycle and this may be accomplished by providing air inlets 23 between the ends of the seating compartment where the air is confined in the passageways 24 usually provided between the outer shell 25 and the inner shell 26 of the car. The spaces between the shells 25 and 26 are connected to a return conduit 26a leading to the evaporator compartment 21. The air returns, while so confined, to the end of the car, where it enters the compartment 21 through the opening 28 and is forced by the fan 29 past the evaporator 2] and thence through the opening 33 where it again leaves in the form of a blast to repeat the cycle.

Preferably the blast is discharged along the upper portion of the car along one side thereof. In the preferred form, the air to be conditioned is contacted with an evaporator placed at each end of the car as shown at 2| and 2la in Fig. 6. The fan 29 discharges the air through evaporator 2l in the form of a blast along one side of the car, while the fan of evaporator Zia, at the other end of the car, discharges the air along the other side of the car in the opposite .direction. Inlets 23 are provided on both sides of the car and the air returns to the evaporators 2| and 2m in the space between the shells on opposite sides of the car as indicated in Fig. 6.

I have discovered that air may be discharged in the manner shown by properly concentrating F the blast and giving it sufiicient velocity. The entire interior of the car may be cooled and no drafts are felt by the occupants of the car passing down the aisle 3| or occupying the seats 32.

In applying this invention to cars having sleepthe air may be made very compact, simple and' I efficient by providing a condenser compartment ing compartments, such cars being usually known as sleepers, the form shown in Figs. 4, 7, 8, and 9 may be used. Inthis form evaporators M] are provided at each end of the car, and air is forced over these evaporators by means of fans M, the air leaving through the openings 42 and passing along the central aisle 43 in the space normally above the heads of the occupants of the car. Return ducts are provided in this construction including openings 44 on each side of the berth compartment transverse partition, these openings 44 being connected with the spaces 45 between the outer shell 56 and inner shell M of the car. These spaces are connected to the conduit 41a leading to the evaporator compartment Q8. The air returning to the evaporator passes along this conduit and returns to the intake side of the fan M in the compartment 48 in which the evaporator i is placed and is re-discharged in a cycle. If desired, one duct may be connected with the intake of one fan M at one end of the car, while the other duct E5 may be connected to the intake of the other fan M at the other end of the car. The blasts of air are of such velocity, that they travel substantially half the length of the car before being exhausted and thus distribute cooled air throughout the length of the car without forming drafts which can be felt by the occupants.

In this structure when the sleeper is prepared for the night, partitions are formed between the aisle 43 and the sleeping compartment 50 by means of curtains 5| and 52 which are removably supported in the usual manner. The air enters lower berth 53 from the aisle 13 by seeping through the curtain structure because of the pressure differential caused "by the suction at openings 34. The upper curtains 5i, terminate below the ceiling of the car so that the upper berths are ventilated by the limited circulation through the space 60 between the upper curtain. and the ceiling of the car.

The refrigerating system used for conditioning provided with a filter or other air cleaning means 72, so that air is drawn in from the exterior of the car through the openings. of ll by the fan l3, the air being forced through the passage 14 and thence through outlet openings 75 tothe exterior of the car. The refrigerating system may include some type of refrigerant circulator such as the compressor 16, or an absorber, not shown; The refrigerant is delivered from the circulator l6 throughfl'the pipe ll to the condenser 18. The condensed refrigerant from the condenser 78 passes through the pipe F9 to a receiver 80 and from thence by the pipe 8| to the expansion device or valve 82 which delivers refrigerant through the evaporator 2i placed in the passageway 21 as heretofore de-- scribed.

Means for causing water to flow over the condenser, to increase its condensing capacity, may be provided. This is accomplished by providing a water reservoir provided with a constant level float control device 84 connected with the usual pressure water tank 85. From the reservoir 83 water is circulated through the pipe 86 by means of a pump 81 to distributor 88 where water is distributed over the finned condenser surface 89 of the condenser 18. The compressor head may also be cooled by providing a closed circuit 90 through which water or volatile refrigerant is circulated from the compressor head 9| to the cooling surface 92 in the passage M of the circuit 90. The cooling capacity of the condenser 18 is greatly increased by the flow of water and air over the contact surface 89, the capacity being almost five times greater than the same condenser has without the use of the water.

The refrigerating system thus described may be placed in one of the compartments usually provided at the end of the car, the compartment being vertically separated by the partition 93 to form the evaporator compartment 21 of the condenser compartment Hl. These compartments are substantially sealed from the seating compartment by a door or other structure which provides temporary access to the machinery.

The compressor 16 may be driven by a motor 96 which may be operated by a special dynamo,

or from the usual dynamo, in either case the dynamo being driven from the wheels of the car and being provided with suitable storage batteries mo of sufficient capacity to provide power when the car is moved at a slow speed or standing in the station. The motor M is controlled by a thermostat ltl which starts and stops the motor in accordance with car temperature. The fans 29 operate continuously from the dynamo and battery and are controlled by hand switch m2.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claim which follows. a

What is claimed is as follows:

A sleeping car having an aisle and a sleeping compartment along one side said'aisle, said compartment including superimposed upper and lower beds substantially coextensive with the horizontal cross-sectional area of said compartment, curtain means between said compartment and aisle, air cooling means for said car discharging cooled air into said aisle, means causing forced.

flow of cooled air from said aisle past said curtain into the space between said beds whereby cooled ventilation is provided in said space, and means whereby at least a portion of the air forced past said curtain is caused to recirculate over said cooling means.

CHARLES F. HENNEY. 

